Don’t you often wonder how celebrity magazines score exclusive sightings and insider starlet news? You might be led to believe their roving reporter corps are snagging tips from sauced publicists who are too drunk to know they’re spilling, or their checkbook does the reporting.

Or, most likely, a publicist is planting an item.

Yesterday, Marissa McMillion, a marketing staffer at designer Christian Audigier/Ed Hardy, blasted the press with news that Britney Spears stopped by the corporate offices to meet with Audigier himself, and that “she came to check out his new spring collection but mainly to discuss business… she wants to work on a line with Chrisitian… was in good spirits… Christian and her were laughing… she also left with tons of gear… She really loved the new Ed Hardy bathing suits… thought they were “gorgeous… put on the Ed Hardy sunglasses instantly… got presents for Jamie Lynn (her birthday is tomorrow)… got her Christian Audigier handbags, scarves, Ed Hardy bathing suit, Ed Hardy cologne and belts.”

And look how well it moved down the gossip line:

There’s People magazine’s “Britney Spears’s Birthday Shopping for Jamie Lynn” item, which reports “Christian and she were laughing as she tried on Ed Hardy sunglasses and checked out the bathing suits”; and there’s Star magazine’s “Britney Gets Presents For Jamie Lynn’s Birthday!” item.

And, of course, because this was a super secret meeting, the paparazzi were nowhere to be found!